I developed AU at age 8, (after having AA for two years). My parents were ashamed and basically clueless about it. I wasn't allowed to eat at the dinner table without my wig on. Needless to say, I held on to that shame for many years. I always called my wigs my "hair" because I couldn't say the word "wig." It took me a long time to accept this disease; and myself along with it. The way they dealt with my disease really affected me- literally for decades of my life. I was wondering if anyone else's parents had a hard time dealing with this...to the point of being embaressed and ashamed.

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It really hurts to read these comments, and see parents respond that way. Our parents are the two people in this world that is suppose to love us unconditionally I grew up in a small community and most everyone there knew that I had no hair. Now some people thought it was cancer but all that were near and dear to my heart knew differently. I found that the kids in the community were more hurtful with their words.But I have a wonderful family that accepted it right from day one. My parents did all that they could for me from trying different treatments to the purchase of wigs for me. Everyday my mom would tell that I was beautiful with or without hair and it was what was inside that made a person love you. My dad I think found it a little bit harder and would often make a joke but not hurtful jokes. My moms famous words to me were... I know what you are going through is hard but you must think about all the little children that are out there in the world fighting for their lives. She always kept me grounded and made me realized that at the end of the day it was only hair and that I still had my health. A dear friend once told me God made few perfect heads and the rest he put hair on them!

I think in some ways I was lucky with my parents, I remember as a child going for appointments getting all this smelly stuff my mum putting it on my head a lot of nights… it came and went patches here and there, but no real fuss was made… But I think because they made it feel really ‘normal’ for me, I became somewhat naive about it, so when it suddenly got worse in my teens I was a bit naive about what my ‘hair’ looked like until I was in late teens when I finally got to the point my ex-boyfriend bless him suggested I go see a hair dresser, and gently broke it to me that I need something…
My mum though was a bit odd as I got older, she was shocked a bit by the wigs, and worried me about having to shave my hair off (luckily in some ways my hair all fell out so never had to actually shave) She still looks at me a bit odd unsure what to say about my wigs as they change.

I was diagnosed with AA at the age of 12.No one in my family understood that there actually is a disease that causes your hair to fall out. I was told by my stepmother (who was the maternal figure in my life) and my aunt to find something else to do with my time than to pull my hair out. They blamed me. I too then began to blame myself. I carried this with me for a long time. I continued to buy every hair product I could that I thought would help thicken my hair, help it grow longer, and stimulate growth in the areas where there were patches. I am just know coming to terms with it. Just had a treatment of cortisone shots on Thursday. This will be my second go round with treatment. It's so frustrating at times. I have broken down crying in the dermatologist office. It really does something to your confidence and self esteem.

I never really knew how awesome my folks were until I went to college and met folks from different backgrounds, each with a story to tell.

My AA is inherited from my mom's side - so while I was the apple of her eye, she blamed herself for all the hard stuff I endured growing up. There wasn't a tonic, potion or holyman I wasn't taken too...and I to this day I think she's hoping to stumble upon some long forgotten saint of bald kids and all will be cured. She's been on her own sense she was 14...seen the world, and made me strong....I never got in trouble for sticking up for myself, and she went after anyone who worked at the school with a midevil vendetta if they tried to treat me differently.

By about 7th grade, they stopped calling my house for anything.

My dad was the strong silent gentleman type...he believed that all you can ask for is 10 fingers, 10 toes and enough brains and common sense to make something of yourself with them. He built a nice life for himself, put himself through college...

He taught me all the good dad stuff - volenteered for the scouts, coached little leauge and basically filled in my best friend role for most of my childhood...built my first car with him.I really didn't have friends until 8th grade.

He was the kind of man that other people just responded too. If somoene was out of line with me, he would politley call them off to the side, and reasonably explain that I had a hard enough time with kids, give them a look and it never happened again. I lost him 5 years ago, and miss him everyday.

I got my patience and longview from him...and my work ethic.

My sister was kind of my guradian. SHe ended up being a hair dresser...and made sure noone picked on her little brother.

Later... my stepmom entered my life about when I was 16. Not the greatest with kids, but she's the one who encouraged me to do anything that let me find and enjoy a small corner of the world and make it my own. She and my dad pushed me to not be afraid to take chanes and fail... in life, with people.

I know I won the parental lottery.

I think the one mistake they made with me was enrolling me in a clinical trial for Minoxodil and alopeica. As a kid, your told you are no different than anyone else, that you are great as you are....except twice a day when you have to rub all this crap on your head, and and one a month when you have to drive to the city to get blood drawn and fill out reports and stuff. Did that for 12 years....

At 7 I got AU,my mother was a single parent.We went to what seem like thousands of doctors appointments. No one knew what was wrong. I had migraines my mom would sit a rock me all night. At first I had stop going to school then one day she said "your fine,smart, Beautiful and your going back to school even if I have to go with you. She had a school assembly and told all the kids what was wrong and why I was wearing a scarf. She said something to everyone who look or said something.I never wore a scarf in the house,all my family embarrassed me,took up for me,fault for me. My mom is my biggest supporter, my #1fan. And even to this day I'm 34 years old and have being going bald publicly since 2009. Also have a tattoo of a rose on my head when people look she still gets mad.My mom is very overprotective for this reason.

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